The influence of adipose tissue location on postural control

A growing body of evidence suggests, that excessive body weight is inseparably connected with postural instability. In none of previous studies, body weight distribution has been considered as a factor, which may affect results of a static posturography. The purpose of the present study is to quantify some center of foot pressure (COP) characteristics in 40 obese women with android type of obesity (waist-to-hip ratio - WHR ≥ 0.85, BMI: 37.5 ± 5.4) and 40 obese women with gynoid type of obesity (WHR < 0.85, BMI: 36.9 ± 5.1). Variables of postural sway were acquired while subjects were standing quietly on a force plate with eyes open and closed. Both in the sagittal and frontal plane sway range, average velocity, and maximal velocity of COP were calculated. Moreover, the total average velocity and total maximal velocity of the COP displacement were computed.Women with abdominal obesity showed a larger sway range in the anterior-posterior plane with eyes open (p < 0.0282) and eyes closed conditions (p < 0.0115) and a greater maximal COP velocity to compare with subjects with gynoidal obese type (p < 0.0112) with eyes closed condition.The postural stability in obese women from the biomechanical point of view is strongly dependent on body distribution. Women with the abdominal obesity type may be exposed to a greater risk of postural instability as compare to women with gynoid fat distribution.     

Metabolic syndrome in relation to Barrett⿿s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma: Results from a large population-based case-control study in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causes local chronic inflammation that increases risks of Barrett⿿s esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA), yet symptomatic GERD is absent in approximately half of all such patients. Obesity exacerbates GERD and is also a component of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We evaluated the hypothesis that MetS is a GERD-independent mechanism by which obesity is associated with increased risks of BE and EA using data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. BE cases (n = 10,215) and EA cases (n = 592) were each individually matched to five population controls based on age, sex, and general practice. MetS was defined as occurrence of at least three of the following: obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. MetS was marginally associated with BE (OR = 1.12, 95%CI 1.00⿿1.25). Similar effects were found for the individual component factors of obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol. History of GERD modified the association (P-_{effect modification} <1E⿿5), with the MetS-BE association confined to patients without a history of GERD (OR = 1.33, 95%CI 1.12⿿1.58). No association between MetS and risk of EA was detected in the main or stratified analyses. In this large population-based case-control study, individuals with MetS had a marginally increased risk of BE in the absence of GERD. The systemic inflammatory state (MetS) may represent a reflux-independent inflammatory pathway that increases the risk of BE. MetS did not increase risk of EA in this study population.     

The influence of sex and strain on trace element dysregulation in the brain due to diet-induced obesity

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to identify interaction effects between diet, sex, and strain on trace element dysregulation and gene expression alterations due to diet-induced obesity (DIO) in the hippocampus, striatum, and midbrain.MethodsMale and female C57BL/6 J (B6 J) and DBA/2 J (D2 J) mice were fed either a low fat (10 % kcal) diet (LFD) or high fat (60 % kcal) diet (HFD) for 16 weeks, then assessed for trace element concentrations and gene expression patterns in the brain.ResultsIn the hippocampus, zinc was significantly increased by 48 % in D2 J males but decreased by 44 % in D2 J females, and divalent metal transporter 1 was substantially upregulated in B6 J males due to DIO. In the striatum, iron was significantly elevated in B6 J female mice, and ceruloplasmin was significantly upregulated in D2 J female mice due to DIO. In the midbrain, D2 J males fed a HFD had a 48 % reduction in Cu compared to the LFD group, and D2 J females had a 37 % reduction in Cu compared to the control group.ConclusionsThe alteration of trace element homeostasis and gene expression due to DIO was brain-region dependent and was highly influenced by sex and strain. A significant three-way interaction between diet, sex, and strain was discovered for zinc in the hippocampus (for mice fed a HFD, zinc increased in male D2 Js, decreased in female D2 Js, and had no effect in B6 J mice). A significant diet by sex interaction was observed for iron in the striatum (iron increased only in female mice fed a HFD). A main effect of decreased copper in the midbrain was found for the D2 J strain fed a HFD. These results emphasize the importance of considering sex and genetics as biological factors when investigating potential associations between DIO and neurodegenerative disease.     

Does obesity influence labour market outcomes among working-age adults? Evidence from Canadian longitudinal data

Although a negative association between obesity and labour market outcomes is commonly reported in many studies, the causal nature of this relationship remains unclear. Using nationally representative longitudinal data from the last six confidential master files (2000/2001–2010/2011) of the National Population Health Survey, we examine the association between obesity and employment participation and earnings among working-age adults in Canada. After controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, lifestyle factors and time-invariant individual heterogeneity, our results show that obesity is not significantly associated with employment participation but is associated with reduced hourly wage rate and annual income among women by about 4% and 4.5%, respectively. The corresponding results for men show that obesity is associated with about 2% reduction in wage rate and income, but significant at 10% level. However, after controlling for the potential reverse causality bias using the lagged measure of obesity, the effect of obesity on wage rate and income became positive or statistically non-significant. Our findings suggest that obesity is not causally associated with negative labour market outcomes among working-age men in Canada. For working-age women, we find limited evidence of negative labour market outcomes.     

Length of residence and obesity risk among North African immigrant women in Italy

Obesity is one of the major risks for chronic health conditions. Immigrants from low- and middle-income to high-income countries show a tendency to weight gain, with the country of origin, lifestyle habits, socioeconomic status and length of residence as the main factors involved. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the association between fat distribution and obesity with length of residence and other socio-demographic variables in a sample of North African women migrated to Italy. Socio-demographic variables were collected by structured face-to-face interview. For the assessment of weight status and body composition, various anthropometric traits were directly measured by an expert anthropometrist. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA adjusted for age to test the differences between length of residence (divided into three groups) and logistic regression models adjusted for covariates to test the association between overweight and/or obesity and length of residence. Significant differences between the three groups were observed in waist circumference (p = 0.004), waist-to-hip ratio (p = 0.001), and upper arm muscularity (p = 0.025), with higher values in those with longer duration of residence. In the crude logistic regression model length of residence resulted positively associated with obesity with the odds of being obese increased by 2.4 times in long term immigrants [OR 2.364 (0.766; 7.296)]. After adjusting for covariate the association remained significant [OR 3.584 (0.779; 16.480)], and being poorly educated [OR 5.737 (0.641; 51.363)], unemployed [OR 6.892 (0.940; 50.528)] and not practicing regular physical activity [OR 17.736 (1.569; 200.418)] increased the odds ratio of being obese.In conclusion, length of residence, socioeconomic status, and physical activity were significantly correlated with obesity, with a longer duration of residence being positively associated with central fat adiposity and upper arm muscle area in North African migrant women.     

Association between obesity and prescribed medication use in England

We investigate the association between obesity and use of prescribed medications in England. Data were taken from fourteen rounds of the Health Survey for England (1999–2012), which has measures of current prescribed medication use based on therapeutic classifications in the British National Formulary, and nurse-measured height and weight. We find that obesity has a statistically significant and positive association with use of a range of medicines for managing diseases associated with obesity. The mean probability of using any type of medication is 0.40 in those of normal weight, 0.44 in the overweight, 0.52 in obesity class I and 0.60 in obesity class II/III. Significant positive associations were found between obesity and the use of medication for diseases of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, respiratory system, and central nervous system, as well as for infections, endocrine system disorders, gynaecological/urinary disorders and musculoskeletal and joint disorders. Use of anti-obesity medication is low, even among those with class II/III obesity.     

Apolipoprotein A-V is a potential target for treating coronary artery disease: evidence from genetic and metabolomic analyses

Triglyceride (TG)-lowering LPL variants in combination with genetic LDL-C-lowering variants are associated with reduced risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Genetic variation in the APOA5 gene encoding apolipoprotein A-V also strongly affects TG levels, but the potential clinical impact and underlying mechanisms are yet to be resolved. Here, we aimed to study the effects of APOA5 genetic variation on CAD risk and plasma lipoproteins through factorial genetic association analyses. Using data from 309,780 European-ancestry participants from the UK Biobank, we evaluated the effects of lower TG levels as a result of genetic variation in APOA5 and/or LPL on CAD risk with or without a background of reduced LDL-C. Next, we compared lower TG levels via APOA5 and LPL variation with over 100 lipoprotein measurements in a combined sample from the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study (N = 4,838) and the Oxford Biobank (N = 6,999). We found that lower TG levels due to combined APOA5 and LPL variation and genetically-influenced lower LDL-C levels afforded the largest reduction in CAD risk (odds ratio: 0.78 (0.73–0.82)). Compared to patients with genetically-influenced lower TG via LPL, genetically-influenced lower TG via APOA5 had similar and independent, but notably larger, effects on the lipoprotein profile. Our results suggest that lower TG levels as a result of APOA5 variation have strong beneficial effects on CAD risk and the lipoprotein profile, which suggest apo A-V may be a potential novel therapeutic target for CAD prevention.     

Systemic lupus erythematosus onset in lupus-prone B6.MRL/lpr mice Is influenced by weight gain and Is preceded by an increase in neutrophil oxidative burst activity

In this study, we assessed whether weight gain influenced the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) onset and/or outcome, and examined the role that reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by neutrophils played in the SLE onset and/or outcome. Female control (C57BL/6) and lupus-prone B6.MRL/lpr mice (CM and LPM, respectively) at 4 weeks old were fed standard diet or standard diet plus cafeteria diet during 12 weeks. SLE diagnosis relied on the presence of both antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and renal abnormalities. We found that the percentage of weight gain in CM and LPM increased as a function of the length of cafeteria diet feeding period, but it was not associated with energy intake. Cafeteria diet-fed CM and LPM at 8 and 12 weeks old were overweight, while CM and LPM at 16 weeks old were obese. Compared with standard diet-fed CM and LPM, cafeteria diet-fed CM and LPM exhibited elevated glucose and total cholesterol levels, and diminished triglycerides levels. Standard diet-fed 16-week-old LPM and cafeteria diet-fed 12-week-old LPM had nephritis, characterized by the increased interstitial infiltration of leukocytes. Cafeteria diet-induced weight gain rose the frequency of homogeneous and speckled ANA staining patterns in the 12- and 16-week-old LPM groups. Together, these results indicated that weight gain anticipated the SLE onset. In addition, neutrophils from cafeteria diet-fed 8-week-old LPM exhibited augmented ROS production capacity; in standard diet-fed LPM, such rise occurred only in the 16-week-old group. Thus, the neutrophil ROS production capacity was increased before the SLE onset and during its outcome. Overweight and obese CM and LPM displayed elevated levels of kidney, liver, heart, and spleen lipid peroxidation. In conclusion, cafeteria diet-induced weight gain is associated with the increased production of ANA and neutrophil-derived ROS, which may contribute to accelerate the SLE onset.     

血清视黄醇结合蛋白-4同儿童肥胖和代谢综合征组分的关系

目的:探讨儿童血清视黄醇结合蛋白-4(retinol-binding protein4,RBP-4),视黄醇,甲状腺素运载蛋白(transthyretin,TTR)等维生素A相关指标与肥胖、胰岛素抵抗以及代谢综合征组分之间的关系。方法:分别随机选取本地区13-15岁体检学生,其中正常对照组和单纯性肥胖组儿童各50例,测定其血清RBP-4、视黄醇、TTR水平;利用空腹胰岛素和定量胰岛索敏感性检测指标评价其胰岛素抵抗;同时测定代谢综合征部分组分水平和亚临床炎症指标。结果:仅5%的青少年存在维生素A营养不足状态。排除年龄、性别、感染等因素的影响后,血清RBP-4水平、视黄醇、RBP-4/TTR摩尔比值以及RBP-4/视黄醇摩尔比值与体重指数、体脂含量以及体脂的中心分布(WHR)等密切相关;RBP-4与代谢综合征组分的甘油三酯水平则存在明显的正相关,而RBP-4/视黄醇摩尔比值则与空腹胰岛素水平存在显著的正相关。结论:RBP-4可能通过视黄醇依赖和/或非视黄醇依赖的方式参与肥胖和代谢综合征的病理过程。